Being Children
by Absolutely Indecisive
Summary: "There is a war brewing, You know that. But on this bright Sunny Saturday you will be children, and you hope it'll be enough to last" LE/JP


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise.**

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><p>The shower switches on, causing the sound of water gushing out of rusty old pipes to echo from the bathroom into the bedroom. The noise, although not particularly loud is enough to wake you, dragging you from the world of restfulness and dreams to the world of reality, and at that moment your reality is a messy, crimson bedroom. It's not yours but his, with t-shirts thrown haphazardly across the room, honeydukes chocolate wrappers on the floor marking your feast last night and another body lying sprawled on the floor, under several blankets. Sirius. You look around and deduce that it's James in the shower, as Remus returned to their dorm last night, after refusing to sleep on the floor, and there are several more abandoned blankets on the ground, showing where he slept last night. Sirius is snoring softly; arms sprawled out at odd angles, mouth open, looking more innocent than he ever appears while awake.<p>

The room reflects them all, you think, sitting up slightly in order to see it better. Still wrapped in James' duvet, you look around. There is evidence of their experiments last night, the explosions that brought you to the room in the first place. You had heard the bangs and had hurried to his room, and knocked on it loudly. The murmurs and mutters had stopped abruptly and the distinct sounds of people hiding something, before the door opened to reveal a very innocent looking Remus. He had sighed loudly when he saw you, and after glancing round to check that you were alone, he ushered you into the room, and into the chaos that consumed it.

There were other, more dramatic sighs of relief when you were brought in, and the three boys gathered around you to show you their plans and experiments. You were impressed, impressed by the fact that NEWTS are less than a month away, that everyone everywhere is stressed to hell, and these boys had found time to be marauders amidst all the confusion. Of course the products they were creating were not to be sniffed at either.

There is still evidence of last night's productivity around the bedroom, singed curtains, an impressive purple goo on the ceiling and a sharp, daunting crack in the window. This is Sirius you think fondly, bright lights, explosions and his friends, that boy wants nothing more. He was content last night; more so than you have seen him in months, with nothing to worry him, and nowhere to be, he was able to relax, smile and show you what the marauders did in their free time.

Remus is the opposite, if Sirius is represented in the destruction of the room, then Remus shows in the lack of it. Where the purple goo was controlled and not allowed to breed. Where the fire that threatened the curtains was put out quickly and the shards of the window are still together. Remus too, was happy last night, he was with those who cared about him, those who kept him safe, and Remus is never more content than when he is stopping some potential disaster without breaking a sweat, and rolling his eyes at his two idiot friends laughing on the floor. Sirius and Remus are such opposites you reflect, but they have a friendship that no one (not even James) quite understands.

Peter's absence last night was felt deeply, but he was in detention for being caught climbing to Gryffindor tower after a full moon. He willingly acted as the distraction for Filch, in order to allow James to half-carry a wounded Sirius to your dorm for you to heal. In James' room on that Saturday morning there is no sign of an idea taken to the next level, Peter, always willing to go that little bit further. Put one more dung bomb in a corridor, add a little more stink sap to a potion. He was there to push them, and James confided in you that some of their best pranks were because Pete thought it would be good to push the limits a little more.

You know that its because he feels inadequate next to his high flying friends, he wants their respect, desperately wants acceptance, but what he can't see is that he already has it. Has had it right from the beginning. You hope that one day he will see it, see how much they value him, because the marauders could never act as a trio, but are indefinitely, utterly and completely a four part group and could never be anything else.

James is everything else. He is the glue that holds them together, pulls Remus from his shell, shows Peter he belongs, gives Sirius a brother he can love rather than hate. James is the warm duvet wrapped around you, keeping you warm, holding you close and keeping you safe. He does that to every one he loves, you think. His "mother-hen complex" as Sirius affectionately calls it, is as much a part of their group as Remus' "furry little problem". He has been beyond stressed recently, and you don't know how to help. With head boy responsibilities, quiddich captain responsibilities, homework and NEWTS. And with the "Mudblood" comments aimed towards you and others like you becoming louder and louder.

There is a war brewing, you know that, you know that there are people who would not let people like you learn magic, because you're not pure, because your blood is dirty. James fights, every day he fights for you, for Remus, for those who can't fight for themselves. Breaking up fights between Slytherins and other houses, defending younger students who are blissfully naive about such matters as blood. Last night you saw the boy (man) you've fallen in love with, a mischievous grin on his face as he showed you their next big scheme.

You can't find the words to describe him properly, to do him justice, without sounding clichéd. You love him, more than you thought possible, and it scares you, terrifies you because you're only seventeen, and your life spans have decreased dramatically. James is everything to you; he makes you feel every emotion under the sun.

Your relationship isn't perfect, you both know that. You bicker far too much, and about the most stupid things, you fight too much, shout too much and are far too reliant on each other. But then again, when James takes you on a spontaneous trip to Hogsmeade, or will sneak you out to gaze at the stars, or just kisses you in public (and private) and you know that you love him, and will stand by him no matter what happens,

You look around the room again, feeling at home. Somehow, despite the past between you, these boys have taken you into their group, letting you in on secrets that no one else knows, and they are so fiercely protective of you, the brothers you never had (or wanted). But now life would be empty without them. They hold you together, keep you moving forward, keep you living, because how can you doubt them? When they look you in the eye and tell you that everything will be fine, that you will be fine and that this "voldemort" with his "deatheaters" will never touch you, how can you not believe them?

You are frowning now, your thoughts have taken a melancholy trail, but these musings are broken when the water in the bathroom is turned off and James opens the door, returning to the bedroom. His hair is a mess, dripping with water, his pajama is t-shirt on back to front, and his trousers are a horrible shade of green with snitches wizzing round on them.

He looks both young and old at the same time, but he looks at you tangled in his bed with a smile. You know that you are not looking your best, that your hair is probably a mess and yesterdays make up is creating the famous panda eyes, but you also know that it doesn't matter, that this boy - this group of boys - loves you, and will always be there. You share a minute of peace and quiet reflection, neither of you breaking the silence before he says softly

"Good morning"

"Morning" you reply softly, stretching in the bed. He's watching you, and you wonder where his thoughts are, but then the moments over and he sighs, looking at his best friend sprawled on the floor.

"We should wake him up" James yawns

You nod your agreement, still slightly dazed from sleep to form full sentences. James sighs again, a light glinting in his eyes, and a childish grin breaks across his face as he jumps on top of Sirius with a startling yell, reminding you of a vicious war cry. The quiet atmosphere of the morning is broken as Sirius responds with his own yell of terror. The room is full of swear words as they fight on the floor and you laugh when Sirius says,

"Bloody hell Prongs, I thought you were a giant marshmallow trying to eat me, I think I had too much sugar last night"

There will be time in the future to be adults, and that time is approaching quicker than you would like to admit. There will be time to stress and worry and freak out, but today, on this bright sunny Saturday you will be children. Remus opens the door and comes in fully dressed with Peter behind him. He takes one look at the wrestling bodies on the floor, and then sits in the edge of the bed, wishing you good morning. Peter sits on the chair at James' desk, watching the fight with a resigned interest.

Yes, you think as you get up, and head to your own room to get dressed, leaving behind the boys that never fail to make your day. Today we will be children, like the calm before the storm. Then you will fight in a war that you have not chosen, and grow up faster than you can bear to imagine, but today is a day for laughter and smiles, and god, you hope it'll be enough.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading, constructive criticism welcome x <strong>


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